HBS202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Skeletal Muscle, Spasm, Myocyte
Document Summary
Think for a moment what it would be like to not have skeletal muscle. Imagine not being able to sit, stand, walk run, speak or grab objects around you. Life as you know it would not be possible without skeletal muscle. With over 600 individual muscles, skeletal muscle comprises the largest group of tissues in the body. As the name implies, skeletal muscles are attached to skeleton and performs the following 5 important functions: Generation of force for maintenance of skeletal posture. Control of body entrances and exits: maintenance of body temperature. If we want to make a muscle contract an electric signal is sent from the brain and travels through the nervous system, eventually reaching the desired muscle, the muscle is then triggered to shorten. A muscle spasm involves involuntary contraction whereas a cramp is a forceful prolonged spasm.
